I’ve written many white papers, and Michael Stelzner has long been a source of inspiration to me in that realm. I just found an entry on his blog by John White, and it resonated with me. Perhaps it will with you:

Images as Bricks, Text as Mortar – A New Model for White Papers?

By John White

White papers are meant to persuade and inform. What if you did all of your persuading with images and all of your informing with text? (Click on title for full article)

Many people who want to write a book are held back by fear–of not being able to finish; of how the book will be judged; of being “found out.” These are common experiences. If you have any of these fears, do not berate yourself.

If you’ve never written a book, it’s a mysterious and daunting undertaking. Your discomfort is natural. And you can use it to help you move forward in the book-writing process. Here are two things you might consider doing:

1. Make a list of all the benefits you will gain by having a book published. Do it quickly, without thinking about it. List as many as you can.

   Next, make a list of all the good things that WON’T happen if you DON’T publish a book.

   Finally, list your fears, on a separate piece of paper.

   Now consider each fear. What will happen if it is realized? And what will happen if the opposite occurs? Write down those “good opposites” for each fear.

   Before each writing session, review your lists. Remind yourself of the benefits of publishing a book, and what you’ll miss if you don’t. Then go through your list of fears, asking yourself, “How will I feel if this happens?” And immediately after thinking about the answer to that question, ask yourself, “And how will I feel if this (“good opposite) happens?” Then move ahead.

   Every time a fear arises, take a moment to consider it. Then consider its opposite, and move ahead.

2. Get a copy of my book about my “Simple Secret.” (It’s free.) Read it through, then follow the simple steps. It is a method with small and easy-to-implement steps. Just commit to doing each step, then the next, then the next. Your book will be done before you know it, and you won’t give yourself a chance to be discouraged by fears.

Made famous by Covey in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” this dictum is perfect for the author of a non-fiction book. The word “end” in “begin with the end in mind” has two meanings: the last part, and the purpose. Both are applicable.

What is the last part of your book? In the chapter that starts something like, “Summing up…,” what will you say to your reader? You need to think about this before you start to write.

And in order to know what goes there, you must have a purpose for your book. What question does it answer? (See “The Diamond is Your Friend.”)

Don’t just start to write. Create your structure first. And know where you are headed.

I’m an expert in non-fiction book writing and publishing–why, how, and what. In my view, the best reason to write a book is if you want to promote your services as an expert.

By writing a book, you accomplish several things:

• You “credentialize” yourself
• You create a unique and inexpensive brochure
• You produce a vehicle to promote your work via press releases, interviews, and more
• Perhaps most importantly, you organize your expertise into a form that can then be turned into additional streams of income–teleseminars, speeches, recordings, courses, ebooks, and more.

Do you need a coach to write a book? No. You don’t really need a coach to do anything. But a coach can help you move more quickly toward your goals.

Check out my free book on how to write a book; it has more insights on how to proceed.

Why is a book coach saying you don’t need a coach to write your book? Because most people don’t. The instructions in my free book–”The Simple Secret To Writing A Non-Fiction Book In 30 Days, At 1 Hour A Day!”–are simple and direct. Follow them, and your book will be done in much less time than you thought possible.

Check it out here.

I think it’s a cool device; so do most commentators. But this morning’s “day after” batch of stuff in the online press is full of whining, griping, nitpicking, sour-grapes-ing–it’s downright mean-spirited. (Including the puerile humor about the product name.) Best I’ve found so far is Engadget’s.

Apple’s ability to inspire awe, admiration, loyalty–and sneery nastiness–is clearly closely related to its business success.

I was happy to learn–see my post from yesterday–that there is an optional keyboard dock, as well as support for Bluetooth keyboards.

By JENNA WORTHAM, NYT (click for full article)

After months of wild speculation, Steven P. Jobs has finally given Apple fans exactly what they have been asking for — a new iPhone-like tablet computer called the iPad starting at $499.”We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a magical and revolutionary product today,” said Mr. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive.

* * *

Should someone who writes books–or even just wants to write A book–plan to get an iPad? Well, on the “shiny things” side: It’s gorgeous, and if indeed its battery lasts 10 hours–what’s not to like?

Simply put–the lack of a keyboard. My main way to interact with my computer is via the keyboard. I type fast. I express myself easily.

I don’t need a lot of computation power. I do fiddle with pictures and videos, so I need some graphics power. But on most trips, I’d be happy with an iPhone and a keyboard.

Now the fact that one cannot connect a bluetooth keyboard to the iPhone is clearly a strategic marketing decision, not a programming challenge. I find it regrettable.

If the iPad has a similar limitation, it’ll be a while before I get one. I hope it doesn’t.

Update: Just watched the Apple iPad video. If it works as well as it does on the video, I may be ok with the on-screen keyboard. We’ll see.

I saw yet another person making this silly declaration:

Dear friend and aspiring author: The correct version of this is, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” In other words, the test, or proof, of how good or effective something–like pudding–actually is, is when the something is put to its intended use. When you eat the pudding, you learn whether it is a good pudding. It may have looked nice and smelled great, but unless it tastes great, it is not a good pudding. </pedantic lecture>

If you use a methodology like mine for writing a book about your area of expertise and interest, you are forced to organize your knowledge into clear, understandable chunks. You clarify your awareness of what the big issues and the small issues are, and how to communicate them to readers.

Besides establishing you as an authority in your field, the work you do on your book creates a treasure-trove of content and direction for additional products. Using your table of contents and notes, you can readily produce outlines for:

• Teleseminars
• E-books
• Special reports
• Courses delivered via autoresponder
• Live courses
• Keynote speeches
• Workshops
• On-line courses
• Podcasts
• and of course, additional books!

The structure of a book, which I believe should take the reader in a logical way from the question implicit in the book’s title to a clear answer, provides structure for your knowledge so that you can easily convey it to readers and clients.

That makes it possible to obey the dictum of my coach, Tom Antion: “To make money on the Internet, become a product machine!” Your expertise has value, and if you learn to package it and market it, you’ve got the business of your dreams.

Questions? Write me.